If she had done nothing else besides found Ms. Magazine with Gloria Steinem and a handful of other editors in 1971, she'd belong in the pantheon of cultural world-movers. However, she also contributed to Free to Be You and Me, meaning she was instrumental in changing the consciousness of every man, woman AND child, setting us on the long path toward gender equality. Not to mention her landmark best-seller How to Make it in a Man's World, which was crucial source material for Peggy Olsen's character arc on Mad Men.
Read more about the formation of Ms. Magazine in this incredible deep dive in New York magazine.
More about how Free to Be changed kids' lives for the better here, plus (below) a Spotify playlist, if you've never heard it, including classics like "It's All Right to Cry" (by legendary NFL defensive tackle Rosey Grier) and "Don't Dress Your Cat in an Apron."
And a review of her smart and deeply empathetic book, How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who's Sick, here – a book which may revolutionize the way we look at ill friends and relatives as much as Ms. changed our attitudes toward women in the workplace and Free to Be changed the way we treat boys and girls.
photo via New York magazine
From left: Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Gloria Steinem, Margaret Sloan-Hunter, Suzanne Levine, Mary Thom, Harriet Lyons, Patricia Carbine, and Ruth Sullivan
The lecture is presented by Rollins' Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies program (SWAG — nice) in the Galloway Room of Mills Memorial Hall. The event is free and open to the public; no reservations or tickets are required. Parking is available in the SunTrust Parking Garage on East Lyman Avenue.
